Local & State
23-year old shot, killed in
south Lansing parking lot
A man was shot and killed Monday in
a south Lansing shopping plaza, police
said. Police believe the shooter fled
the scene in a green Dodge Durango
sport-utility vehicle, heading south on
Pleasant Grove.

Israeli prisoner malnourished,
heartened by Tuesday’s release

By Sheera Frenkel
McClatchy Newspapers
MITZPE HILA, Israel—After
five years in Palestinian custody,
Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was
greeted by Israeli army officers
as he stepped onto Israeli soil
After being flown to an airbase, where he was welcomed
by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Shalit was reunited

with his parents away from the
eager television cameras, and
then helicoptered home.
The Israeli soldier ws
snatched in a cross-border raid
by the Islamist organization
Hamas and two other Palestinian groups on June 25, 2006.
Shalit, 25, was then reunited
Doctors said he was malnourished and that he probably had
spent much of the past five years

Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu
embraces Israeli soldier
Gilad Shalit at the Tel Nof
airforce base in Israel
on Tuesday. Shalit was
moved into Egypt from
captivity in Gaza in a prisoner swap deal including
hundreds of Palestinian
prisoners to be freed in
return for Shalit, who has
been held in captivity by
Hamas militants since
June 2006.

in solitary confinement below
ground.
His appearance certainly
bore that out. Looking fragile,
Shalit seemed unsteady when
Israel’s prime minister, defense
minister and the head of the
army greeted him with warm
hugs.
He limped noticeably from
wounds he received when his
captors snatched him in a daring cross-border raid in June
2006. His pale skin and weakness were the apparent effect of
long years without exposure to
sunshine.

Avi Ohayon/MCT

See SHALIT, Page 2A

Page 4A

Governor: Bridge would
strengthen ties to Canada
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said
Tuesday he wants to
strengthen economic
ties with Canada, adding
that one of the best
Snyder
ways to make that happen is to build a new bridge between
Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.
Page 7A

Nation & World

The GOP Puzzle

Lansing
dropout rate
more than
25%

As candidates continue to vie for the Republican
nomination, we take a look at the sometimes
fractured segments of the party

By Kathleen Lavey
Lansing State Journal

By David Lightman
McClatchy Newspapers

Feds to change bankruptcy
laws by end of year
The first overhaul of bankruptcy laws
in 27 years will force more debtors
to work out repayment plans with
creditors.
Page 3A

SPORTS & Leisure

MSU men’s basketball: Ohio
State loss clinches Big Ten
title for Spartans
Wisconsin’s 63-60 upset win at Ohio
State Sunday gives the Spartans a share
of their third Big Ten championship
in four years. It’s the seventh for head
coach Tom Izzo—making him one of
five Big Ten coaches in history who have
won seven or more.

The Republican Party is hard to
define. The easy part is detailing its
struggles. It still has difficulty attracting big numbers of African-American
voters and tends to be less popular
than the Democratic Party with Hispanics.
But among its core voters — those
who cast ballots in this year’s GOP
caucuses and primaries — the GOP
includes several very different blocs.
While some factions are stronger than
others, none is so dominant it can
choose the GOP’s presidential nominee by itself.
They share one common characteristic: They’re fiscal conservatives.
They want deficits reduced dramatically, and fast. They want taxes lower,
and they want, as Ronald Reagan
used to say, to get government off
people’s backs.
Beyond that, though, are different
factions, some more powerful than

others. Social conservatives dominate
the debate, but can’t agree on a single
candidate. Moderates, once dubbed
the “Rockefeller Republican” wing
after the long-serving, big-government New York governor, are influential only in a few states. Libertarians have enough muscle to make a
difference, but perhaps not enough to
get their candidate elected. And blue
collar and suburban voters, who
want lower taxes and efficient government services, are up for grabs.
Whoever wins the party’s nomination will have to cobble together a coalition of these different groups, and
it won’t be easy. Here’s a look at the
party’s divisions:
in Southern states to have any
chance of winning general election.
TEA PARTY
Where? All over.
Who? Generally fiscal conservatives of all ages, often people usually

READ MORE
• Schneider weighs in on the numbers 1B
• Read what community members think 6A
• Look for updates www.LSJ.com

LIBERTIARIANS

BLUE COLLAR

MODERNIST

Where? Predominantly white suburbs
Who? Better-educated white-collared
Recent hero: President George H.W. Bush and
John McCain
Current favorites: Chris Christie; Illinois and
Paul Ryan of Wisconsin
Preferred GOP nominee: Mitt Romney
Key beliefs: Crucial swing voters, who often
turn out and contribute to campaigns. Want
government to act efficiently and responsibly;
McCain’s campaign to clean up the campaign
finance system in ‘00 was well-received.

Where? New England, New York,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey
Who? Usually white-collar, welleducated voters in Northeast
Recent hero: None since Nelson
Rockefeller in the 60’s and 70’s
Current favorites: Chris Christie,
Olympia Snowe, and Susan Collins
Preferred GOP nominee: Romney and
Huntsman
Key beliefs: Conservative, favor lower
taxes, but also want a large role in
helping poor.

SOCIAL
CONSERVATIVES

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Twitter @lsj
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Facebook.

See DROPOUT, Page 2A

SUBURBAN

Page 1B

Index
A & E. . . . . . . . .A1

The number isn’t pretty: The
dropout rate for Lansing School
District students who started
school in 2006 and were supposed to graduate in 2010 is 25.7
percent.
Compare that with 22.4 percent in Grand Rapids, another
large, urban district, or 1.76 percent in suburban Okemos.
“There’s an excessively high
dropout rate for everyone, but
especially among Hispanics and
black students,” said the Rev.
Fred Thelen, pastor at Cristo
Rey Catholic Church in south

ESTABLISHMENT
Where? All over, particularly in the
Midwest, Northeast and urban South
Who? Business owners, chamber of
commerce members, Wall Streeters.
Recent hero: Presidents George H. W.
Bush and Gerald Ford
Current favorites: John Boehner and
Mitch Daniels
Preferred GOP nominee: Mitt
Romney
Key beliefs: Often called “country
club Republicans,” they care most
about fiscal issues.

PROJECT 2

MODERNIST in solitary confinement below ground. His appearance certainly bore that out. Looking fragile, Shalit seemed unsteady when Israel’s prime minister, defense minister and the head of the army greeted him with warm hugs. He limped noticeably from wounds he received when his captors snatched him in a dar- ing cross-border raid in June 2006. His pale skin and weak- ness were the apparent effect of long years without exposure to sunshine. $1 READ MORE See DROPOUT, Page 2A Page 1B Page 4A